Storage containers and storage container kits for storing electronic devices and wires or cables have been devised for particular applications ever since electrical cords have been used with home appliances, such as lamps. An exposed and lengthy run of cord between a power outlet and an appliance is both unsightly and potentially dangerous. U.S. Pat. No. 2,763,707 (Soderberg) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,337,682 both disclose containers for taking up and storing the slack in wires. In the device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,694, a rectangular container is provided with pegs around which extra cable can be wound and stored.
In other devices intended to contain and organize electronic wires and devices when they are in use, the container is itself provided with linking power or computer outlets, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,562 (Pierce et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,892 (Ferracina et al).
The device of our invention which we refer to as the CABLE EATER™, was developed chiefly for the purpose of managing the cords when installing modules on seating to provide power for personal electronic devices. In particular it was desired to afford airport customers easy access to electrical power for their laptops, Blackberries™ and other personal electronics. It has always proved difficult to run cables between these outlets in a tidy manner while still allowing enough extra length for easy and flexible repositioning of the furniture. As has been the case in so many practical applications, surplus lengths of wires associated with electrical devices present problems of management for aesthetic and safety reasons.